Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract. The etiology of IBD remains poorly understood. Colorectal cancer is a life-threatening complication of both ulcerative and Crohn's colitis. The present application seeks to extend the findings of our previous studies, which showed that CD98 plays an important role in coordination of intestinal epithelial events. Such events include cell adhesion/polarity, amino acid transport, and direct binding of molecules to cell surfaces. Studies by our group have shown that CD98 expression plays a role in the pathogenesis of IBD. Our overall hypothesis is that colonic CD98 plays a critical role in initiating and perpetuating intestinal colitis. The initial aim of this proposal is to investigate the role played by interactin of CD98 with bacteria in terms of the loss of intestinal barrier function. The second specific aim is to investigate the role played by CD98 in upregulation of colonic mucosal activities including epithelial cell differentiation/polarization that may, in turn, affect intestinal barrier function. Finally, we will explore whether knockdown of CD98 expression, using a targeted nanotechnological approach, reduces the extent of colitis and colitis-associated cancer. The proposed project will use a variety of biochemical, molecular, nanotechnological, ex vivo, and in vivo techniques. We expect that we will develop therapeutic strategies, based on manipulation of CD98 expression in the colon, to reduce colitis and to inhibit development of colitis-associated cancer. More than one million adults and children in the United States suffer from IBD and complications of the condition, such as colitis-associated cancer. New therapeutic strategies based on a better understanding of IBD pathogenesis will improve the clinical care of such patients.